10 Day Canadian vacation

[tom1944]

In 2026 we are skipping our WDW vacation and looking to take a Canadian trip instead. I figure 1 day to travel there and 1 back and 9 days in Canada. I am thinking our first trip will be to Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland. Can we visit all 3 over 9 days or is that too much travel?

If we can I would appreciate any recommendations of places to go and things to do

Thanks in advance

 

[damo]

That should be just right. What a beautiful trip that will be.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

We are doing something very similar this summer, except we are not adding Newfoundland. We'll be in Halifax after the flight in, then we'll be in PEI, followed by Cape Breton, and finally a few nights in the southern part of Nova Scotia. About 10 days total. We are very excited, Nova Scotia has been on my list for a long time.

 

[kittyab]

Summerside (PEI) is nice but can be pricey. We stayed on the east of the island (Murray River) more affordable. We visited: Sally's Beach Provincial Park, Northumberland Provincial Park & Beach, Wood Islands Lighthouse, Kings Castle Provincial Park. Charlottetown is nice too. If you go into NB you have to see the Hopewell Rocks.

NS, Ovens Sea Caves are nice. Peggys Cove, Halifax waterfront, Truro has a nice spot, Victoria Park. The valley area has wineries. Cape Split, Blomidon Provincial Park, Halls Harbor, Luneburg, Cape Breton, Oak Island. Too many to list.

I have yet to go to NL, it is on my list to visit though.

 

[tom1944]

We are doing something very similar this summer, except we are not adding Newfoundland. We'll be in Halifax after the flight in, then we'll be in PEI, followed by Cape Breton, and finally a few nights in the southern part of Nova Scotia. About 10 days total. We are very excited, Nova Scotia has been on my list for a long time.

I tried to convince my daughter to apply to UNB when she was college shopping. As an only child with too much parental oversight, I was trying to ship her as far away as possible. She never took me up on it but has now decided she regrets not being willing to travel as a kid. She went to an in-state school, and I tried to ship her to Spain for study abroad, but she was not ready for that either. She took an Ireland trip last year and going to Iceland this year, she started to open up when her friend started to travel to Europe on her own and then her cousin traveled all over. She figured if they could do it why not her. She has a fear of flying but her daughter who is 6 does not. Her daughter told her why are you afraid of flying you watch tv and they give you snacks.

I also need to see the tides at the Bay of Fundy.

 

[tom1944]

Summerside (PEI) is nice but can be pricey. We stayed on the east of the island (Murray River) more affordable. We visited: Sally's Beach Provincial Park, Northumberland Provincial Park & Beach, Wood Islands Lighthouse, Kings Castle Provincial Park. Charlottetown is nice too. If you go into NB you have to see the Hopewell Rocks.

NS, Ovens Sea Caves are nice. Peggys Cove, Halifax waterfront, Truro has a nice spot, Victoria Park. The valley area has wineries. Cape Split, Blomidon Provincial Park, Halls Harbor, Luneburg, Cape Breton, Oak Island. Too many to list.

I have yet to go to NL, it is on my list to visit though.

Thanks

I will start looking into all of these

 

[Alison S]

I think it's too much to include NL, unless you're planning on just a quick stop to check out St John's and not explore around the island at all. I'd either add on NB or Cape Breton, instead of spending the time going to St John's. It's hard to leave PEI once you arrive though

 

[tom1944]

I think it's too much to include NL, unless you're planning on just a quick stop to check out St John's and not explore around the island at all. I'd either add on NB or Cape Breton, instead of spending the time going to St John's. It's hard to leave PEI once you arrive though

Thank you. This is the type of guidance I am looking for. We have discussed taking several Canadian trips in our alternate years from our WDW trips. They will include Quebec and Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Niagra Falls and British Columbia and Banff National Park.

I think Canada has the best display of all the countries in the World Showcase. I loved it since we went to Epcot over 50 years ago.

 

[kittyab]

Thanks

I will start looking into all of these

Are you hoteling? camping?

 

[kittyab]

I think it's too much to include NL, unless you're planning on just a quick stop to check out St John's and not explore around the island at all. I'd either add on NB or Cape Breton, instead of spending the time going to St John's. It's hard to leave PEI once you arrive though

yeah you can easily do 2 weeks there. Charlottetown has a nice Canada Day celebrations.

 

[tom1944]

Are you hoteling? camping?

Hotels

 

[tom1944]

I think it's too much to include NL, unless you're planning on just a quick stop to check out St John's and not explore around the island at all. I'd either add on NB or Cape Breton, instead of spending the time going to St John's. It's hard to leave PEI once you arrive though

You are correct my geography was off. I meant New Brunswick not Newfoundland.

 

[kittyab]

Hotels

Hotels

We rented cottages when we were at PEI and NB Ponderosa Pines Campground has cottages near Hopewell rocks.

 

[Alison S]

You are correct my geography was off. I meant New Brunswick not Newfoundland.

Oh then you're fine to do those. Driving is very easy. Would you fly into Halifax? There's some interesting museums downtown.
NB- Bay of Fundy National Park (absolutely gorgeous), Hopewell Rocks. We stayed in Moncton.
PEI- so many beaches and restaurants to enjoy. We mostly did kid stuff there in addition to that.
Cape Breton- also gorgeous, has a big national park with whale watching.

 

[Lesverts]

It really depends on what you want to see.

Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail. Peggy's Cove, Annapolis Royal. Halifax. Saint John, the Bay of Fundy, Moncton. How much of Acadia you want to experience. Anne of Green Gables. Summerside. PEI in general. 10 days is short and will be an oversight.

Newfoundland is its own beast. St John's to the major tourist spots is at minimum 6 hours drive. To get to the Viking historic sites it is an even bigger trek.

 

[tom1944]

Oh then you're fine to do those. Driving is very easy. Would you fly into Halifax? There's some interesting museums downtown.
NB- Bay of Fundy National Park (absolutely gorgeous), Hopewell Rocks. We stayed in Moncton.
PEI- so many beaches and restaurants to enjoy. We mostly did kid stuff there in addition to that.
Cape Breton- also gorgeous, has a big national park with whale watching.

Yes I plan to fly to Halifax.

 

[mort1331]

I am glad you cancelled NL off ,,,not that its not great,,,but too much with everything else,,,you need half a day to get there and back if going by ferry.
Now some of the places people have mentioned are amazing. I will add to their collection. In Cape Breton if you like single malt, Glen Breton distillery, also on the island is Louisburg, one of the largest recreated French fortresses in North America.
If in Halifax, depending on when your going, one of the lagest Tattoos in the world. Pipes and drums. Also Alexander Keiths brewery, has an amazing tour, very different then most brewery tours, and great restaurant after.
If your going to Peggys cove, then just a short drive from there is Mahone bay and Lunenburg. Both great locations.
There are others on here that are from the area that can give more details.
Also there is a thriving BNB in the east coast that was there before airbnb, most have flipped to that platform, but there are still others out there.

 

[kittyab]

In 2026 we are skipping our WDW vacation and looking to take a Canadian trip instead. I figure 1 day to travel there and 1 back and 9 days in Canada. I am thinking our first trip will be to Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland. Can we visit all 3 over 9 days or is that too much travel?

If we can I would appreciate any recommendations of places to go and things to do

Thanks in advance

We went on a whale watching tour out of Digby.
Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises

 

[mamaofsix]

IMO 9 days would not be enough to see all three provinces. We've spent at least a week in NS and 8 days in PEI and that was about right. I would stick to just NS and PEI. If you want to do NFLD, add another 4 days.

For NS and PEI, if you want to hit the highlights with no days to rest in between, these would be my recommendations. Each of these will take almost a full day to get there and explore.

NS
-Bay of Fundy ocean floor walk and tide coming in at Hopewell Rocks (technically from the New Brunswick side of the Bay)
-Peggy's Cove
-Halifax Harbour
-Lunenburg
-Fort Louisbourg
-Cabot Trail scenic drive

PEI
-Historic Charlottetown
-Stanhope national park (for sand dunes, boardwalks, and ocean)
-Anne of Green Gables attractions and Cavendish

 

[tom1944]

My brother and his family are going this year so that will help me get an idea on my timeframe. They do more hiking and kayaking than we do so some of their time is spent on that.